Map of Kajo-keji County. (Crediy: Charles Wote/Eye Radio).

Kajo-Keji County Commissioner in Central Equatoria State said on Sunday about 200 villages inside South Sudan have been illegally occupied by the Ugandan settlers.

David Lisi Christopher revealed the damning list of the encroached villages in a letter addressed to Major General Kulang Mayen, the SSPDF commander in Kajo-Keji.

Commissioner Lisi said the illegal settlement of foreigners comes after the Ugandan army evicted South Sudanese villagers near the international border lines.

“Almost 200 villages that has been encroached upon now, and the Ugandan are the ones living in it,” he said in an interview with Eye Radio on Sunday.

Mr. Lisi revealed that a number of boarder residents who went to plant their bananas this week were stopped and assembled by UDPF before being released yesterday after his intervention.

“This week, some of our men went and planted some bananas across the disputed areas, so immediately a good number of soldiers arrived in the area from Uganda this morning and they have assemble the people our boarders community.”

The commissioner said they have scheduled a meeting with neighboring Moyo District authorities to address the matter through diplomacy.

“Immediately, I call the RDC (Resident District Commissioner of Moyo) and it told him to recall his army and we can resolve that issue diplomatically, so they have withdrawn and I have scheduled a meeting on Wednesday with the RDC.

Similar encroachment allegedly orchestrated by the Uganda People’s Defense Force has also been reported in multiple areas in Eastern Equatoria State.

The national government is yet to comment over such multiple reports of cross-border aggression which have resulted in alleged harassment and detention of civilians and SSPDF soldiers along the areas of Magwi, Kajo-Keji and Budi counties.